Baseball History Podcast

Monty Franklin Pierce Stratton, nicknamed “Gander”, was born May 21, 1912 in Celeste. Stratton played five years with the Chicago White Sox, from 1934 through 1938, compiling a career 36-23 won/loss record with 196 strikeouts and a 3.71 Earned Run Average.

Harold Homer Harris Chase, nicknamed “Prince Hal”, was born February 13, 1883 in Los Gatos, California. Among the most unsavory characters in the history of the game, Chase was an oddly charismatic star. He was considered by contemporary observers to be the best-fielding first baseman ever, but he repeatedly threw games for the quick money he could make betting against his own team, and he was eventually banned for life.

Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors, nicknamed Chuck, was born April 10, 1921 in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. The 6’7″ Connors played pro basketball with the Boston Celtics after WWII before concentrating on baseball.

Elston Gene Howard was born February 23, 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri. Howard was a strong hitter, three times topping .300, with a high of .348 in 1961. He hit from an exaggerated spread stance when he came up, which he modified later in his career.